these spaces here are the spaces some people have been going for. that is where our story begins. she has four good tires now. but on monday -- >> they told me someone had called and the judge now defreight flighted my tire. >> reporter: she said she w told charles county circuit court judge robert nally seen here, deflated one of her tires because she was parked in his spot outside of the courthouse. >> i went to work. i parked on a se street like i normally do. i went in the building. one of the security guards came down to let me know that i needed to get my car because judge nally was about to deflate the air in my tires. >> reporter: by the time she got to her car it was too late. she had a flat tire. the guard that caught the judge doing it and taped it on his cell phone. >> i was shocked. i couldn't believe it. when i actually went out and saw

that i my te was flat, i mean, i was almost in tears. not because of the fact that the air fwhants my tire. it was because of who did it. >> repter: jean was illegally parked in a reserved space assigned to permit holders. she worked at the courthouse as a custodian for 13 years. but she says when construction started at the court she started parking in this area because it is closer to the door and she leaves work after dark. now the alleged vandalism is under investigation. but laplata police are not naming possible suspect. >> what i can tell you is we are investigating an incident where there t air was let out of a lady's tires. and where the investigation is going, i'm not at liberty to discuss now because it is ongoing. >> reporter: meanwhile, jean says she found somewhere else to park. >> the judge can pay a fine for destruction of other people's properties. i wonder what will happen in this matter. >> reporter: jane says she would have preferred a ticket or a tow over what happened to her.

and according to the signs that's what could have happened. the judge's supervisor. we contacted his office for comment. he said he would reserve comment until he had the opportunity to talk with the highest court in maryland. tracee wilkins. back to you in the studio. a violent night in the district and police trying to figure out if a series of shootings are related. seven people were shot within a nine-hour span. on fe mamandou shot to death on ndinesville street southeast around:00 last night. two other men shot just borest 11:00 on birney place and then t.heton rd asso two more men were wound order 24olth p eic southeast around rng. andg.e d then just after 3:00, a man an unwa fos d shot onfo northwest. at least two victims a in critical condition. the rest are expected to recover. the search for chemical weapons in a northwest d.c.

neighborhood is on holdor now. the u.s. army corps of engineers stopped its search for world war i munitions in the spring valley neighborhood. after a worker digiscovered an ith a c werh a mustard agent. the discovery was made last week at a vacant home behind american university's campus. the school was once used to develop and test chemical weapons during world war i. workers have been searching for munitions for a number of years now but it is unclear when or if further excavation will take ace. still no cause yet to a fire that damaged this home in white oak today. firefighters were called to a home on symphony woods drive this morning. when they arrived they found flames shooting from the back of the house. three propane tanks that were in the back were on fire. the flames quickly spread to the second floor andatic of the house and no one washurt. firefighters rescued three pets from the burning home. the dogs that attacked and killed a young man in leesburg

have been put to sleep. loudoun county animal control says the two pit bulls were euthanized today at the request of their owner. the victim's older brother. and investigators say a bite to the neck likely killed 20-yeaold carter delaney. he was found inside of his grandfather's home on plaza street in leesburg monday. police s delaney may have tried to hel all sma dog being attacked when the pit bulls turned on him. the reward is raised in the case of a pit bull found near death in a dumpster in southeast d.c. the humane society is now offering up to $2,500 to track down the person responsible for wrapping this severely injured dog in a garbage bag and then tossing her into the trash. that's on that reward, by the way on top of the existing $1,500 reward. the friendship hospital for animals is nursing the dog who is now called trooper back to health. sshe'lsts iiln guarded conditn tonight.

good evening. bob ryan, storm center 4. quite a difference from a couple of day ace go. our temperatures right now into the mid 80s. there are some showers and thundershowers. you can see those coming out of the mountains of west virginia. but we have had so much in the way of cloudiness in over us today that even though there may be thundershowers for you folks, loudoun county, settling down. another batch more to our west, too. look at the temperatures. even culpeper, 79 degrees. 85 year. here is the question of the week. on average, july is our hottest month. july is our hottest month. two degrees above august. but in the last ten years, how many times have we had an august hotter than july? i will join new a few minutes and tell you how hot we may be back to in this month of august. back to you. >> thank you, bob. local workers have hit the jackpot. ask they are claiming their prize today. 27 emploes with washington hilton who decided to pool their money and buy some powerball tickets. craig melvin now on how they are

turning their good luck into goodwill. >> reporter: when bridget saw a billboard posting the prize at more than $100 million she asked her co-workers if they would be interested. it wasn't a tough sell. >> everybody started digging in their desk and pulling out change and pennies. wounded up being 27 people who decided they wanted to put in a dollar and take a chance on playing the powerball. >> reporter: that night she decided to check the numbers online. >> about 1:00 i decided to check the powerball numbers. and i -- had made copies so i highlighted and got down to one ticket. i had realized i had on that ticket all of the but one number. i was excited but i didn't know how much we won at the time. >> reporter: the next morning she found out how much she and 26 of her grateful colleagues won. >> as we said, the d.c. lottery,

lots of people win. and today we continue to demonstrate that by awarding the hilton washington 27 with a check for $10,000. >> i thought initially she was maybe just fibbing a little bit to get citement. >> reporter: many of the newly named 27 have decided to donate their wintion to a group called tourism cares. >> national organization that does landscapingnd preservation of historical monuments throughout the country. we are going to donate our time anfunds to that organization. >> reporter: craig melvin, news4. on 9/11 some of those winners will be on the national mall sprucing up the fdr memorial. after taxes, each winner will get about $259. the owners of new york's madison square garden are trying to break into the washington entertainment market. news4 has confirmed that the company that owns the garden, the rockettes and radio music city hall is looking for a venue in d.c. they want to build an arena with

less than 10,000 feet. eith the washington convention center or the redevelopmenting washington waterfront. the company has been in the city talking to potential developers the past two months. a specialeception today at the white house for the newest supreme court justice. greeted with thunderous applause, president obama introduced justice sonia sotomayor this morning. she was sworn in saturday and is the first latina justice. the only third woman to sit on the high court. today sotomayor thanked the president saying the momentous opportuny is not lost on her. >> i understand here today knowing that my confirmation as an associate justice of the supreme court would never have been possible without the opportunities presented to me by this nation. >> former supreme court justice th bader ginsburg was also at today's ceremony along with

sotomayor's family. stay right there. we are just getting started here on "news4 at 5:00." forgetful drivers targeted and an important reminder from local police. food fight, which grocery stores are battling for the best checkout line bargains. heist. daylight robbe$65e'$65 million in jewels. changes at the gate. deals between airlines that will affect what you pay and who you fly without of national airport.

encouraging news from the federal reserve board. members gave a vote of confidence about the recovery saying economic activity is leveling out and the fed kept a key lending rate at a record low. near zero. hampton pearson joins us now with more on this. how do we interpret this? is this another sign that the economy is improving? is this just clearing one of many, many hurdles to come? >> some economists e saying there's still the possibility although remote of a so-called double dip recession and in other words another downturn before we have a recovery. the consensus for that matter the fed's forecast is for slowdowns of the rest of the year and return to positive growth next year and slowing the loss of jobs and really a bottom in the housing market are the keys to go along with the rebound and financial markets we are see. >> what about the consumer --

have we taken their temperature lately? are they starting to get back into the game? >> when you look at the -- among other things, earnings reports from retailers and it is a kind of mixed bag, you know, we know for example like the cash for clunkers program is happening -- tapping into pechbt-up demand for new cars. folks are worrying that could mean fewer sales in future months. on the retail side today we had macy's reporting, better than expected profits. based on cost cutting and not sales. walmart reports its kwart results tomorrow. >> i understand that fed chairman bernanke's term is ending in january. is president obama going to reappoint him? >> the white house -- obama white house is keeping quiet about all that. that's for sure. the fed chairman serves at the pleasure of the president. lots of speculation about top economic adviser larry summers as a possible replacement. right now ben bernanke's stock is high other wall street than on capitol hill. as we approach the one-year anniversary of the financial

market collapse, we all know a whole lot can happen between now and january. >> but in general, it seems like in the last couple of weeks, the news about the economy just seems to be a little bit better. is that expected to have any kind of impact on people's sigh cole -- psychologically? >> absolutely. and psychology is the key. you know, consumer confidence translates into consumers reaching into their pockets to go spend money. and frankly, the better psychology about people not losing their jobs and we are seeing that, you know, play out in a big factor in really the pair now yeah about health care reform. and you know, the first thing you worry about is not only keeping your job but keeping your health insurance if you have it. that really does translate into when does the consumer psychologically feel better to go out and start spending and give this economy a jump start. >> hampton pearson, thank you so much. we appreciate it. police in great britain

released two pictures of two men wanted in connection with one of the country's biggest jewel heists. investigators say the pair robbed the upscale diamonds in london last week. they stole more than 40 items, including rings, bracelets, other jewels totaling retail value of $65 million. police have made one arrest in connection with the case but say the suspect is not one of the two men. the heist is thought to be one of the costliest in british history. survival stories from tie taun today. hundreds of people now being flown out of remote villages that were hit hard by a typhoon. many villages in the southern part of the country wiped away by the massive mudslides triggered by torrential rains this weekend. the taiwan military is ferrying food and supplies to the survivors while carrying on a search for scores of people still missing. the storm slammed into the island this weekend and killing more than 85 people and hundreds did manage to make it to higher

ground before the wall of mud and rock submerged their homes. >> awful. >> terrible. taiwan, china and japan. >> yes. >> the season out there. for us, we had clouds. not as hot. quite a difference from two days ago. boy, you get under the shade of a tree or the shade of the clouds. here is our question. on average, july is our hottest month. on average, two degrees hotter than august. even though it does seem -- by the time. here is the question. in the last ten years, how many times has august been hotter than july? there are your choices. two, four, six, or eight? on who do we appreciate? >> six. >> six. >> i go with eight. >> eight times. wendy is quite correct. six times. more than half the time august in the last ten years has been hotter than the month of july. the last time, as a matter of fact, was only a couple of years ag right now, right now, this august is hotter than july. do you remember 2001? that time august was 3 1/2

degrees hotter than july. here is t t adheoi look at the current conditions around us. our temperature right now because of the clouds we have had, 85 degrees, lot of 80s, 90s, have to go to dallas to find 93 degrees. our temperature here, 5 degrees below where it was the same time yesterday. look at down in north carolina. because that's where they had some rain showers. little dip in the jet. as a matter of fact, more than a little in in a combined with the humidity is -- a severe thunderstorm watch out. stl out for a wide area, southeastern virginia on into north carolina. in and around us now, there have been thundershowers. you can see for you folks over the eastern shore around oxford and another batch coming out of the mountains of west virginia, that area is heading towards hagerstown now. you folks in a frederick county, maryland, and also frederick county, virginia, you can see that will be getting close to you and we are going to continue to keep an eye it. around us there have been a few pop-up variety that have been trying to fire up. right now they are coming around

south of martinsburg and right into the winchester area. there is one that's firing up around mitchellville. looks like more run of the mill showers, possibly some thunder because we have had so much in the way of cloudiness. but down to the south, boy, look at the amount of rain, eastern parts of north carolina. again today have had a lot of rain. so as we go through the nighttime hours, what we will see will be more rains down there. there is that little weak weather front that will continue to sag to our south and along it an area of low pressure will be coming up the coast tomorrow. so because of that, we are going to be into a more north to northeasterly breeze. i think perhaps even around washington, seeing more showers. almost cooling showers. but likely to be seeing showers for you folks out to the eastern shore and also into southern maryland. temperatures here tomorrow only about 84 degrees. so right now here in washington, partly cloudy. but we have those showers. and a few thundershowers that have popped up. after we get through 9:00, 10:00, they should be settling

down. a fair am of clouds when you get out and head out tomorrow. temperatures about 70 degrees. low 70s in town. some spots where we had the showers will be into the high 60s. and on and off day with a lot of clouds. farther west you are to the shenandoah valley, panhandle of west virginia there, i think the are less chance of showers. on the other hand, southern maryland, eastern shore, that little area of low pressure comes up there, you have more likely spot of getting some scattered shower and t sunset tomorrow is at 8:05. next four days, after we get thugrrh smotoow, i think we are back to a fairmmof sunshine. still d.mihu not stifling. temperatures will be in the mid 80s. and saturday and sunday right now, i think, look a lot better than they did yesterday. and humidity will continue on into next week. the 90s are on hold for a while. >> all right. >> that's good to hear. >> thank you, bob. still ahead, medical don't. a picture -- this picture is not so common. but the mistake is. we will explain.

that maternal clock, proof thsoyouinhink ng so ft any s soe is special. e-mail us their story to today@nbcwashington.com. ehld coue b featured in our

the health care debate rages on. angry town hall meetings across the country.

>> who is going to pay? >> this is in california. angry constituents are hammering lawmakers on who is going to pay for health care reform. many are also upset over myths that undocumented immignts will get guaranteed care. and that the government wants to encourage suicide and use taxpayer money to fund abortions. partisans and lawmakers, meanwhile are accusing each other of distorting the facts about the reform bill. a large protest rally is planned for friday when president obama will talk about his health insurance proposal in montana. people in our area got to voice their opinions today at a health care town hall in hagerstown, maryland. keith garvin joins us live from hagerstown with more on their part of the story. keith? >> reporter: the line in hagerstown community college began to form more than four hours before the start. residents mainly from western maryland eager to share their opinions on health care reform proposals. this was not a -- >> no sign to be apathetic

anymore. people are waking up and seeing a lot of spending. their wallets are hurt. >> even though this is not a perfect bill, we know that this is not the bill that is ultimately going to be voted on. there is a civilized way of getting the truth as it is understood now. >> reporter: seems like these have become more familiar across the country in the past few week town hall meetings held by congressmen where emotions have come to the surface. in some cases crowds moving close to violence. today's host, ben cardin, faced a tough audience in towson on monday and was hope for civility. >> we hope those in attendance will be respectful of the people there and allow the questions to be asked. >> reporter: after cardin took the stage it did not take long for things to get rowdy. >> let's take a look at -- let's take a look at what might happen. >> reporter: during the answer ask question session there were more people that wanted to make

statements. >> your government has lost the faith and trust of the american people. >> reporter: despite all the tough crowds senator cardin, including a number of other local area congress members we spoke to over the last couple of days, say they plan to hold more town halls on health care for the rest of the summer. reporting live from hagerstown, ith garvin, news4. back to you. >> all right, keith. thanks so much. american women are waiting a little longer to have their first child. the most recent numbers from the centers for disease control show the average age of a first-time mop is 25. that's up from 21 years of age back in 1970. all of the 50 states are seeing older mothers. mississippi has the youngest first-time moms with an average age of 22 1/2. massachusetts has the oldest with women there at just under 28 years of age. some changes ahead for reagan national airport. the news could be good for passengers depending what airline you would like to take.

us airways plans to extend its service at national. trading for slots delta currently owns. that means that delta will cut its flights or number of flights. departures from 89 flights to 55. meantime, air tran is gaining slots at national and southwest will start flying in and out. once its bid for frontier is complete. the new deals appear to be good for all the airlines involved. coming up next on "news4 at 5:00," park and go. police say local drivers are being targeted for something very simple. easing out of the 401(k) slump. new encouraging news about americans and their savings. living in the fast lane and we will introduce to you the woman leading the federal metro crash investigation. r

welcome back, everybody, to our second half hour of "news4 at 5:00." i'm jim handly. i'm wendy rieger. coming up, a warning for drivers as local police investigate an increase in break-ins. we will meet a virginian getting ready to make his third trip into space. local grocery stores are battling it out for your business. that could mean lower prices at the checkout. first, she's not a household name. when disaster stwriks debbie has been the public face for the federal government. relaying critical information about crash investigations. she's handle ad number of high-profile events, including june's deadly metro crash and this past weekend's deadly collision between a hicopter and small plane in new york city. she has been with the safety board for the past four years.

she was confirmed as its new chairman at age 39. she is the youngest person to ever hold that job. there is a lot more to debbie story. pat collins had a chance to sit down and talk wit her today. pat joins us now with more. pat? >> reporter: i spent time with debbie today. you know, she has a license to drive an 18-wheeler. she has a license to drive a motorcycle and she is a certified child safety seat installer. and a triathlete. did i mention sheoloed in an airplane before she got her driver's license? do you think she is qualified? >> i feel like i make a difference. i think the mission that we have is very important. and we effect people's lives. >> reporte meet debbie. the new chairman of the national transportation safety board. 39 years old, with the ntsb for five years. no stranger to the crash investigation business.

>> we have concerns about why the train did not stop. >> reporter: she was at the woodley park metro crash in 2004. the arlington school bus accident in 2005. the maryland state chopper crash in 2008. and that terrible metro crash last june. we will not soon forget what happen order the red line that day. nine people killed. 70 people injured. debbie says her investigators go looking for facts buthee motivated by feeling. >> you see things there that are -- that remind you that these were people that they had lives and families, you know. they have -- people who love them and are waiting for them to come home and didn't make it home. >> reporter: we were at the ntsb headquarters today as chairman continued her move into her new office. it overlooks the national

airport. >> there is a cockpit voice recorder. i think had is the big -- this is the big misnomer about black boxes. none of the black boxes are actually black. they are all orange. one of the reasons why they are painted orange is so we can find them. these are may steel toes. we need to wear these when we are on an accident scene and probably smell a little bit like jet fuel. >> reporter: over here a plaque of appreciation from the people of lexington, kentucky. she was on a team that investigated an airplane crash that killed 49 people. >> my husband's family is from lexington, kentucky. and so i had visited there, spent many christmases in lexington. and it was -- it was an accident that meant a lot to me and to the people who were in lexington and involved in it. >> coming up at 6:00, debbie hersman on travel dangers. on metro safety and the car that

she drives. wendy, i will see you at 6:00. >> pat collins. thanks, pat. service back to normal on the orange line after a man was hit and killed by a metro train this morning. this happened at the west falls church station. the six-car train was heading towards new carrollton on the orange line. investigators say the man was intentionally standing on the tracks when hit. trains were single tracked for part of the day. full service has resumed. it has been 13 years since alexandria resident bell was murdered. today there was another search for her remains. bell's parents were digging in a wooded area on old fort road in prince george's county. herself-confessed killer claims to have buried bell's body there. crews with backhoes were digging deep in the area with mixed emotions. her stepfather said he's now more hopeful about the prospects of finding something. >> it is going to be sad. see them pull her out of the

ground. the cloesh or and gravesite to go to, flowers, that will be joy. it will be joy. >> this was the third time a large search effort has been coordinated to search that area for bell's body. this is a crime that can easily be prevented and it is on the rise. last month nearly 20 cars parked in silver spring parking garages were broken into mp megan mcgratds was there while police were giving drivers a heads-up and advice on how to prevent it from happening to them. >> good morning. >> reporter: at the cameron street park gagrage in downtown silver spring, a gentle reminder. don't forget to keep your valuables out of sight. better yet,ake them with you. in the month of july, there were approximately 20 car break-ins in montgomery county's nine public parking garages. almost all of the cases, the owner of the car left valuables where they could be seen by thieves. officers have begun handing out fliers reminding people to stash

anything of value. >> an opportunity. if you believe something in your car that's -- that's -- someone can see from the outside, that gives them an opportunity to break into your car and take the property out. in crime, that's one way to eliminate the opportunity. >> reporter: despite the effort the driver of this car left their gps suction cup on the windshield in plain view. gwen says she always protects her valuable. >> i put it away, take it with me or it is in my bag. never leave anything available so it can be seen. >> reporter: but her friend, joanne, admits she sometimes forgets. >> sometimes i forget. if i have my cell phone, i will pull it in the pocket of the car and get to work and have to come all the way back to my car. >> reporter: the break-ins happen all hours. the police are not sure if it is the same person in all the cases

or if there is more than one thief. >> the most common items taken are gpses, mp3s, cell phones and laptop computers. when we come back on "news4 at 5:00," price check, please. major local grocery store chain is getting customers big discounts. space junky. a local man takes his third trip into t

tonight, "wednesday's child" is a teenager that spent more than a third of his life in foster care. he's hoping for a loving family. one that happens to like baseball. barbara harrison takes us to meet alex. >> reporter: hi, alex. >> hello. >> reporter: great to see you. meet alex who just turned 15. and to celebrate his birthday he wanted to come to nationals park where his favorite team, the nats, of course, had a game on tap for later this day. this is going to be an exciting day for you. especially when you see who you are going to get to meet who is right here. josh bard, i want to you meetal zbleks nice to meet you, buddy. >> reporter: alex is a big fan of ours. catcher josh b ra d welcomed us and congratulated alex on his birthday. for the last five years jh has been in foster care. his social worker says although he was a little nervous today, he has a great personality. >> alex has a very contagious smile and laugh. when he laughs he lights up a

room and he really enjoys telling jokes to people and making other people laugh. i think that's one of his best qualities. >> let me show you how to throw the ball straight. >> reporter: when the field was being groomed for the game, john bard gave alex a lesson and few expert pointers for playing the game of baseball. >> biggest thing with baseball, i see it in your face, you have fun. light up when you throw the ball. >> reporter: alex has learning challenges. he works hard in school and does well. he's hoping for an adoptive family that will be proud of all of he accomplishes. >> i like the family to be caring, lovable, and likes baseball. and respectful to me. >> we are looking for a single parent or two-parent adoptive family for alex. i really want a family for him that will accept him for when he is and integrate him into their family in terms of family activities, holidays, and because he really enjoys those kinds of activities. >> alex, thanks for coming out today. i got you a special bat.

>> reporter: alex got a few things to take home with him. and tickets for a nationals game. he would love to one day have a family to come and enjoy the nats with him. barbara is ,4,nehawsonis news4, ne c4,."ayldsdhi "wednesday's child." >> if have you room in your home t arr alex or another dilchit wa cg,inallt our speci tiopad oninaltlhoe. 1-88-to-adopt-me or go to nbcwashington.com. an astronaut from virginia is get rtitl teangakodyise m hti th irdsriay srost autnaayrostut pa gfs erstfinprld sie itee basnn.scovery's" next h it has been scheduled for august 25th. forester is one of seven astronauts that flies on the mission. crew members will deliver science and storage racks, freezer to store research samples, a newleeping compartment and a treadmill named after comedian stephen company bert. following an online contest.

we remember that. coming up, your job may be very different from your spouse or best friend but there is one thing a lot of work verse in common these days. >> also tonight, find out about a new zero calorie sweetener that's hitting store shelves. in sports, a redskins rookie tries to prove he belongs. his off-the-fiel

more work, less pay. that's what employees are experiencing these days. companies are producing more. up nearly 6.5% compared to a year ago. but workers' salaries dropped nearly 6% during the same time. part of the reason employees are working so hard, layoffs. the workers still on the job are making up the work that had been done by their departed colleagues. in some cases, that extra work came with a smaller paycheck. the recession has taken a

huge bite out of some retirement plans. but a new report shows workers are once again embracing their 401(k)s. fidel investments is the sgsav ovid.v ititeports workers bedstheoots r qnder ortethf t second quarter of the os eth osthe contributions rose4.7%. eaat'she first time in arat y thete c of dedppro. dropped. . spokesman for fidelity says money away weret rewarded. a jump in stock prices helped out, too. some hate to do it and most have to do it. grocery shop. this tough economy has major grocery stores in our area cutting their prices and fighting for yr dollar. tom sherwood joins us to tell bus that. tom? >> you can get two for one, triple coupons, club discounts, and more. grocery stores say shopping right now is a battle for every penny. nearly every one of us do does it. grocery shopping. all around the washington

region, all types of shoppers in ese tough times are looking f for bargain. >> i shop where it is cheaper. what i can get here that's cheaper, i get it here. >> reporter: safeway joined the ay wednesday with what it says are thousands of price markdowns, including many staples that draw customers in the first place. customers telling news4 they are worried about high prices and they like thee low price campaigns. >> at least the giant has a deal where you buy, i think, six gallons of milk you get one free. >> pretty much stick to the name brands and try to get in the store now. >> reporter: whether it is giant foods, safeway, or any other major food retailer in washington, price is the name and grabbing customers is the game. >> big coupon user when i can. when the prices go down, you eat

better. and you stretch your dollar. >> i'm worried about everything. the economy is stretched. people get stressed out. you know, every little bit helps. i mean, you know, folks that have dough, they are pinching pennies, too rip grocery stores make a prove of only a few cents on every dollar. you may be pinching pennies but so are the grocery stores. wendy and jim, back to you guy. >> thanks, tom. >> thank you, tom. a check on that forecast. we have a bit of a break today. >> yes clos out there.lot clou. bit.ve the humidity but that i it igray stiut sthere. look at cambridge. that's where there have been showers around oxford and cambridge. 74 degrees right now. and take a look at the doppler and you can see over the eastern shore and there have been a few lonesome ones that have been trying to pop up around us. i think that's what they are just going to be. folks around silver spring. even a batch out here had lightning with it. it does not look like it is -- once it moves into the cloudy area, probably will be just plain old rain showers.

we could use a few rain showers. overnight tonight, some of those around martinsburg, still frederick. and, again, southern maryland is a chance. after basketball 10:00, 11:00, everything sets also down. an area of low pressure coming up the coast. i think there is a chance, slight chance, for you folks in the mountains. into southern ryland, st. mary's county, a chance we will be seeing rain showers. also, right around here. 60% chance right in washington. especially by mid morning to early afternoon, few rain showers. humidity is still with us into the weekend. i think a lot of sunshine saturday and sunday. looks nice now. with temperatures in the mid 80s. and that's better than the mid 90s. remaining humid and into next week. after all, it is august. but still also a lot of spots remaining on the dry side. back to you. >> all right. thanks, bob. getting better. let's see what we are working on for "news4 at 6:00" tonight. >> working on a number of things. coming up on "news4 at 6:00," we will explain why the government is getting involved after an airplane full of passengers was left on the runway ovnight.

plus, we are just six months away, believe it or not, from the winter olympics in vancouver. we will take a look at how thee venues are combing along. dil w we l tell you about about a guy arrested for yawning in adef o courtroom. wait until you hear what his punishment may be. coming up on "news4 at 6:00." >> serious. >> mask those yawns. >> he has already in jail for a while. an acting redskin? >> this is an interesting story. redskins defensive end suspended by the ncaa for using band substance. not as bad as it sounds. definitely falls into the category. jauron injured in kentucky. he took an over the counter diet supplement he bought at his local pharmacy. we are not talking about a bad kid here. the on the contrary he's very smart. graduated early and was actually set to work on his second degree while studying abroad in until

the redskins picked him up in the third round of the supplemental draft. now jaur mondrmon is turning he ash bun. he may be the biggest surprise so far. >> in the back of my mind i'm looking forward to the future but wane to play now. i want to play this year. so from the go, as soon as they gave me the playbook, i was just in it. and understanding what guys were doing around me, safeties were doing, trying to understand the key fences as best as possible. i'm going out here every day and making very few mistakes as far as lining up and things like that. i have the mental aspect of it down. i'm getting lined up. once i get the mental aspect of it down, it is football. it is coming off the ball and just being an athlete and making plays and using my instincts. i want to play this year. i'm going to do everything i can to get myself in a situation where -- when someone gets tired, someone needs a break, the coaches won't hesitate to put me in because they know i will end up where i'm supposed

to end up. >> have you had a welcome to the nfl moment yet? >> not really. not yet. hopefully it won't be thursday night. but -- >> you are going to get a lot of runs in the preseason. you will get a play football. thursday night will be your first professional game. i'm sure you have been thinking about it since the day that you were picked in the supplemental draft. what is it that goes through your head when that comes to mind? >> just trying to mick sure my body is as fresh as it can be. we have been out here and we have been battling for, i don't know, how many days now. they are starting to blend in. i closed my eyes and wake up and we got another practice. so i'm just doing to try to go out there and just behysical and be aggressive and just do everything that i can to help. hold down my side of the line to make play all around the field. one thing that the coaches always say is that is they shouldn't have to coach effort. if i go out and run to the ball,

everything work itself out. >> you were -- you are going go for yourecond degree in theater. you were in a play at kentucky we have video of. can you tell me what we are looking at here? >> the play? >> the play you were in. >> ironic. but the play is about what's called -- it was interesting. pretty much the premise was there was -- there was a heist, college football team located somewhere in the south. and there were two strong things. one was racism and one was -- one was football enhancing drugs. the kicker in the play, the kicker dies on the team. >> this is serious. >> yes. it was a pretty serious play. >> did you like it? is this something you can see in your future down the road? is this going to be the hollywood sign in your future? >> i don't know. right now i know that my job is to come out here every day and

line up and push offensive linemen back. hopefully the day will come where i can't do that but once it does come, then i will start to reach out and pursue some of the options. >> redskins rookie defensive end jeremy yard monday, as you can tell, just an absolute delight to talk to. some of those other things he said he may pursue down the road, politics. he's already met wh the senator from kentucky. i would be willing to bet that he will be doing an internship on capitol hill in the very near future. >> i like his confidence. i like tt he's -- you know -- >> he is confident -- >> to try a lot of stuff. >> he is not overconfident. he is so smart it helps him on the football field. >> cool. coming up, spoonful of problems. bizarre lesson for the rest of us. >> a new sugar substitute on the market. concerns abo t

a man in egypt showed up at emergency room with worries, sometime thomas. he was having trouble breathing and swallowing. an x-ray showed what the problem was. turns out the 50-year-old man got a fish bone stuck in his throat. take a look. he used this spoon to try to get it out. that is when he accident accidentally swallowed the u tense i will. doctors were able to surgically remove the spoon without any complications.

however, they never found the fish bone that started it all. a natural sweetener is hitting store shelves. the shug sugar substitute is called truvia. some say it is sweeter than sugar and has another plus. truvia has no calories. but there may also be some downsides. diana gonzalez has details. >> reporter: truvia has been in the spotlight as the newest sugar substitute. the calorie-free sweet taste comes from rebiana, extract of the st plant. >> everyone is very excited about it because it is all natural. and it comes from a plant and you can find this plant at your local farmer's market. >> reporter: it is 250 times sweeter than sugar. so the extract is combined with another sugar alcohol. one packet of truvia equals two teaspoons of sugar. judy wilcox is thrilled to have

another alternative for her diabetic patients. >> the only thing i might be concerned with is that if you have any type of impairment in kidney function which many people with diabetes do have that you might limit your use of truvia or talk to your doctor to see if there is any problem in in g itus >> reporter: research sponsored by the company in a makes truvia refuter earlier studies about kidney function, fertility and blood pressure. in december, the fda approved the extract as a safe sweetener for use in food and bev ramgs. like this peach green tea powder mix. what about the taste? we put interns to the test. comparing coffee sweetened with truvia or regular sugar. >> which one has sugar? >> this one. >> no. really? >> it has like a little bit of an aftertaste but not like equal. >> taste it is same. >> that was diana gonzalez reporting.

pepsi and coca-cola helped develop the new sweetener which will soon be included in some of their so das. that's it for "news4 at 5:00." a heated debate over health care reform in our area. wendy joins craig melvin now fr "news4 at 6:00." a maryland judge accused of letting the air out of a woman's tire. that woman, a cleaning lady at the courthouse. she apparently parked in a restricted area. the government is getting involved in the case after plane full of passengers stuck on the tarmac overnight. new video showi president barack obama as a community organizer in chicago in the early 1990s. we will get to all those stories in a moment. evidence of the passion surrounding the debate of a health care reform, one needed to look no further than hagerstown, maryland today. good evening. i'm craig melvin. >> i'm wendy rieger. senator ben cardin held a health care town hall at